10 Fourquels That Were Surprisingly Fantastic

Catch Alien: Resurrection this month on IFC.

Posted by Drew Pisarra on July 19thPhoto Credit: 20th Century Fox/Everett Collection

As the saying in Hollywood goes, three films doth a trilogy make…but it takes four to make a franchise. Before you catch Alien Resurrection this month on IFC, check out some of the best “four-quels” that proved some of your favorite big screen blockbusters still had gas in the tank.

1. Mad Max: Fury Road

Warner Bros

For a while, we feared poor Max had gotten buried under Mel Gibson’s anti-Semitism and Tina Turner’s hair. Then along comes George Miller’s audaciously reimagined hotrod Hell that managed to take home six Oscars and make us all want to forego makeup and smear oil on our foreheads like Charlize Theron’s badass character Furiosa.

2. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol

Paramount Pictures

Say what you will about Tom Cruise — he knows how to keep a franchise going. Part of what has kept the M:I engine running is Cruise’s knack for working with interesting filmmakers. After handpicking auteurs for the initial three M:I movies (De Palma, John Woo, J.J. Abrams), he pairs up with animation director Brad Bird (The Incredibles, Ratatouille) and ends up with a fourth installment that for once wasn’t on cruise control.

3. Fast & Furious

Universal Pictures

Leaving the skid marks of Tokyo Drift behind, Fast & Furious is at once a return to form and a reunion. Fan favorites Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster are all back for more heists, car chases and drag races. The film was a hit, though we’re kind of surprised this one wasn’t titled 4 Fast 4 Furious.

4. Live Free or Die Hard

Twentieth Century Fox

Action pics can benefit from an older leading man who hasn’t lost his rugged charm. Consider Sean Connery, Harrison Ford and, of course, Bruce Willis. As his on-screen alter ego John McClane so aptly puts it here, “Chicks dig scars.” True to that statement, this formulaic fourquel shows its age without shame. None needed — John McClane is ageless. (Catch Die Hard and Die Hard 2 this month on during IFC.)

5. Saw IV

Twisted Pictures

No horror franchise delivers on its promise as consistently as Saw. That explains why it has out-grossed the Halloween, Friday the 13thand Nightmare movies despite fewer entries. This installment is the origin story of Hollywood’s most sadistic moralizer, and it proved to be a huge box office hit.

6. Bride of Chucky

Universal Pictures

Past a certain age, we’re all creeped out by dolls. But after three fright flicks focused on our fears, the fourth installment in the Child’s Play series injected welcome humor, courtesy of a baby-voiced Jennifer Tilly in the title role. Did Tilly (Bound, Bullets over Broadway) give the performance of her lifetime here? Weirder things have happened. Like killer dolls.

7. Alien: Resurrection

Twentieth Century Fox/Everett Collection

How do you bring Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) back from the dead? Clone her, of course. How do you justify Winona Ryder’s wooden acting? Make her a “synthetic.” Herein lies the genius of Joss Whedon, who wrote the screenplay. After this came the Alien Vs. Predator movies and the less said about those the better.

8. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

Paramount Pictures/Everett Collection

Not all Star Trek movies are strictly for Trekkies. This fun, ’80s-tastic outing also works for the Green Party with its Save the Whales subplot. Ironically, while the ecological message argues on behalf of animals facing extinction, most of the whales on-screen are played by life-sized robots and motorized mini-mammals. But the punk with the jukebox who annoys Kirk and Spock? He’s totally real.

9. Rocky IV

Arguably as iconic as the original Rocky, this Cold War classic pits American guts against Russian genetics in the boxing ring. 40-plus years later, we might still be routing for Sylvester Stallone’s Italian Stallion but we’re also secretly conceding that the scientific training favored by Dolph Lundgren’s Drago is the wiser strategy.

10. Sudden Impact

Warner Bros

This Dirty Harry movie — featuring a vigilante rape survivor — is the first time Inspector Callahan spit out the iconic line “Go ahead, make my day” and the last time we saw Sondra Locke, Clint Eastwood’s onetime real life love interest, in a Clint Eastwood movie. For those two things alone, it deserves its place in the canon of fantastic fourquels.

The Best Of The Last

The end is near. In mere days Portlandia wraps up its final season, and oh what a season it’s been. Lucky for you, you can watch the entire season right now right here and on the IFC app, including this free episode courtesy of Subaru.

But now, let’s take a moment to look back at some of the new classics Fred and Carrie have so thoughtfully bestowed upon us. (We’ll be looking back through tear-blurred eyes, but you do you.)

Couples Dinner

It’s not that being single sucks, it’s that you suck if you’re single.

Cancel it!

A sketch for anyone who has cancelled more appointments than they’ve kept. Which is everyone.

Forgotten America

This one’s a “Serial” killer…everything both right and wrong about true crime podcasts.

Wedding Planners

The only bad wedding is a boring wedding.

Disaster Hut

It’s only the end of the world if your doomsday kit doesn’t include rosé.

Your Portlandia Personality Test

Carrie and Fred understand that although we have so much in common, we’re each so beautifully unique and different. To help us navigate those differences, Portlandia has found an easy and honest way to embrace our special selves in the form of a progressive new traffic system: a specific lane for every kind of driver. It’s all in honor of the show’s 8th and final season, and it’s all presented by Subaru.

Ready to find out who you really are? Match your personality to a lane and hop on the expressway to self-understanding.

Lane 10: Trucks Piled With Junk

Your junk is falling out of your trunk. Shake a tail light, people — this lane is for you.

Lane 33: Twins

You’re like a Gemini, but waaaay more pedestrian. Maybe you and a friend just wear the same outfits a lot. Who cares, it’s just twinning enough to make you feel special.

Lane 27: Broken Windows

Bad luck follows you around and everyone knows it. Your proverbial seat is always damp from proverbial rain. Is this the universe telling you to swallow your pride? Yes.

Lane 69: Filthy Cars

You’re all about convenience. Getting your car washed while you drive is a no-brainer.

Lane 43: Newly Divorced Singles

It’s been a while since you’ve driven alone, and you don’t know the rules of the road anymore. What’s too fast? What’s too slow? Are you sending the right signals? Don’t worry, the breakdown lane is nearby if you need it.

Still can’t find a lane to match your personality? Check out all the videos here. And see the final season of Portlandia this spring on IFC.

Last-Minute Holiday Gift Guide

It’s the final countdown to Christmas and thanks to IFC’s movie marathon all Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, you can revel in classic ’80s films AND find inspiration for your last-minute gifts. Here are our recommendations, if you need a head start:

Musical Instrument

Great analog entertainment substitute when you refuse to give your kid the Nintendo Switch they’ve been drooling over.

Breakfast In Bed

Any significant other or child would appreciate these Uncle Buck-approved flapjacks. Just make sure you’re not stuck on clean up duty.

Cocktail Supplies

You’ll need them to get through the holidays.

Dance Lessons

So you can learn to shake-shake-shake (unless you know ghosts willing to lend a hand).

Comfy Clothes

With all the holiday meals, there may be some…embigenning.

Get even more great inspiration all Christmas Eve and Day on IFC, and remember…